Health & Nursing Services

"A child must be healthy to learn and a child must learn to be healthy." (Massachusetts Department of Public Health)

"School nursing, a specialized practice of public health nursing,
protects and promotes student health, facilitates normal development,
and advances academic success. School nurses, grounded in ethical and
evidence-based practice, are the leaders that bridge health care and
education, provide care coordination, advocate for quality
student-centered care, and collaborate to design systems that allow
individuals and communities to develop their full potentials." (National Association of School Nurses 2016)

The mission of the school nurses in the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District is to promote the safety and wellness
of more than 5500 students and more than 800 staff during the school day
in order to optimize learning. Typically, the school nurses care for an
average total of 300 students and staff each school day.

School nurses:

Provide nursing assessment, diagnosis, and care for students who are ill or injured, or have chronic medical conditions

Develop individual health care plans in collaboration with
students, parents/guardians, and physicians for students with asthma,
diabetes, life-threatening allergies, seizures, and other chronic and
acute health issues

In recent years, research has highlighted major societal, legal, and
medical technological changes and their effect on the demand for school
health services. These changes include: (1) increased awareness of the
relationship between health and educational achievement: (2) improved
medical technology; (3) increase in the number of students with special
health care needs combined with an increase in condition severity in
these students; (4) rapid restructuring of the health care delivery
system; (5) laws requiring inclusion; (6) changes in family structure
and patterns of parental employment; (7) rise in social morbidities such
as substance abuse, depression, and violence among children; and (8)
impact of diverse cultural and linguistic groups.